The title “Mr. Las Vegas” may technically belong to entertainer Wayne Newton, but by rights it should go to Steve Wynn. After all, were it not for Wynn and the opulently appointed resort-casinos he’s created in the city—a list that includes the Mirage and the Bellagio—it’s hard to imagine the desert destination enjoying its current appeal to affluent travelers, for whom gambling is only part of the draw. And Wynn did it not by abandoning the glamour and glitz that made Vegas famous in the first place but by marrying those traits to the same passions—quality, craftsmanship, beauty, creative vision—that have made him one of the world’s foremost art collectors.

All those attributes are on prominent display at his expansive Manhattan duplex, a place he and his wife, Andrea, use for regular East Coast visits. Today Wynn’s company has two properties in the Nevada city—the Wynn Las Vegas, and the Encore at Wynn Las Vegas—as well as two in Macau, where a third resort, the Wynn Palace Cotai, is slated to open in 2016. With a relentless travel schedule, the businessman clearly relishes his time in New York. “It’s such a kick to have friends over when we’re here,” he says. “In Las Vegas we don’t entertain at home, so here it’s more of a residential experience.”

Located across from Central Park in a landmark building, a former hotel, the Wynns’ apartment sits high above the treetops and contains a onetime ballroom, so there are dramatic views but also, on the residence’s main level, astonishing 16.5-foot ceilings. “I walked in here and said, ‘Man, what a place!’” Wynn recalls. And even though the unit was larger than what he’d envisioned for his pied-à-terre, it had the pizzazz he was looking for. Furthermore, since the building’s construction policy was less restrictive than those at many prime New York addresses, he would have the opportunity to transform the dwelling to his specifications in a matter of months.

For this he turned to his longtime associate Roger Thomas, the executive vice president of design for Wynn Design & Development. Having worked with the hotelier for more than 30 years, Thomas has played a pivotal role in virtually all of Wynn’s hospitality projects as well as his residences. “I couldn’t do what I do if it wasn’t for Roger,” Wynn says. With the Manhattan apartment, the two focused on decorative enhancements, most importantly a lighting scheme well suited to Wynn’s world-class artworks, among them paintings by Picasso, Willem de Kooning, Roy Lichtenstein, and Andy Warhol.

Structural changes to the duplex were overseen by Mark Ferguson of the New York City firm Ferguson & Shamamian Architects, who managed to finish the work in a lightning-fast five months. While Ferguson orchestrated many critical unseen upgrades, such as complex lighting and HVAC systems, he also contributed one of the home’s most arresting features: the staircase linking the main floor to the private spaces below. In its previous incarnation, this key artery lacked drama, so Ferguson replaced it with a showstopping sculptural form of curved glass and ebonized English sycamore.

To complete the decor, meanwhile, Thomas laid down custom-made wool carpets and selected vibrant Matisse-inspired colors for the wall coverings and upholstery. “The Wynns are happiest on a boat in the Mediterranean,” Thomas explains. “So I suggested sea-blue with a sunny yellow.” This palette is most evident in the living room, where bespoke blue velvet sofas and golden chenille swivel armchairs keep company with a vast de Kooning canvas at one end and an equally formidable Lichtenstein at the other. It’s a combination that makes for a powerful impression.

High impact is what Steve Wynn has long been known for, and this residence fits his reputation—from the eye-catching circular glass light fixture that hangs in the striking red dining room to the billiard room’s shapely white-lacquer pool table to the crimson-and-gold Hervé Van der Straeten console that commands the foyer. Still, when asked to identify what he finds most pleasing about his Manhattan perch, Wynn shifts his gaze over to the towering arched windows that grace every room on the home’s main level. “The apartment puts light and the green of Central Park front and center,” he says. “That’s why it’s so exhilarating.”

Use of this site constitutes acceptance of our User Agreement (effective 1/2/2014) and Privacy Policy (effective 1/2/2014). Architectural Digest may earn a portion of sales from products that are purchased through our site as part of our Affiliate Partnerships with retailers. Your California Privacy Rights (effective 1/2/2014). The material on this site may not be reproduced, distributed, transmitted, cached or otherwise used, except with prior written permission of Condé Nast.